Leadership for Change- Aligning Organisations for the Future

Published on
01 June 2010

Executive Summary / Introduction

At the heart of leadership is the ability to inspire and enable others to reach common goals. New organisational realities mean that a broad range of people will be needed to do this. They may occupy a key position in the hierarchy of the company, be part of a matrix, a team leader or a member or partner of a collaborative team. Regardless of which one, they will need to continually develop and redevelop their influencing skills to be effective in the new knowledge era. The days of command and control and influencing based solely on the power of position are disappearing.

Both public and private sector organisations will benefit from supporting current and future leaders to develop authentic, collaborative and accountable leadership behaviours and build the emotional intelligence, communication and networking skills that underpin them. Because people matter, they will need to build inclusive workplaces that embrace difference and inspire everyone to contribute to their vision to of a better future. Trust in organisations and leaders won’t shift overnight, but new leadership is essential to restoring it. Public and private sector organisations are rethinking their mission, values and operations against a new 21st century backdrop. The current economic downturn and the events that created it have added urgency. Both public and private sector organisations are seeking to restructure and transform themselves to seize the opportunities of a globally, connected world where people, driven by values and equipped with knowledge, will collaborate and innovate. Leadership will play a pivotal role in making this happen. Leadership for Change explores some of the challenges facing leaders and the important behaviours and competencies that will make them successful. It takes a look at leadership behaviours from a gender perspective and suggests key actions to develop and support men and women in current and future leadership roles.

This research tests out the theories of transformational leadership through interviews with 7 leaders.

Lucy Adams DirectorBBC People and a member of the BBC’s Executive Board

Charles Allen CBEChairman of Global Radio and Non Executive Chairman of EMI, a non executive director of Tesco and an advisor to Goldman Sachs. Formerly Chief Executive of ITV

Val Gooding CBENon-executive director of the BBC, Standard Chartered and J Sainsbury. Advisory Board Member of Warwick Business School, a Trustee of the British Museum and a non-executive director of the Lawn Tennis Association. Formerly Chief Executive of BUPA

Carolyn McCall OBEChief executive of Easyjet from the summer of 2010. Previously Chief Executive of Guardian Media Group plc

Sir Nicholas MontaguA non-executive director of Xafinity and the Pension Insurance Corporation. Chair of the Aviva With Profits Committee. Also adviser to Pricewaterhouse Coopers and the Chair of Council at Queen Mary, University of London. Chairman of the Inland Revenue from 1997 to 2004.

Gary SimpsonOperations Director at Parcelforce and a member of the management team that led the transformation from a loss making, cheap, volume carrier to a profitable, premium express carrier.

Sir David Varney​Currently chairman of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. Formely the PrimeMinister’s Advisor on Public Service Transformation, Chairman of the Inland Revenue, Executive Chairman of MMO2 and Chief executive of BG Group.

The Full Story

Leadership for Change explores some of the challenges facing leaders and the important behaviours and competencies that will make them successful.It takes a look at leadership behaviours from a gender perspective and suggests key actions to develop and support men and women in current and future leadership roles.This is a thought piece about the kind of leadership we need for the future, how we build trust in leaders and how we develop future as well as current leaders to realise our ambitions.